Comparison of the International Classification of High-resolution Computed Tomography for occupational and environmental respiratory diseases with the International Labor Organization International Classification of Radiographs of Pneumoconiosis

The International Classification of High-resolution Computed Tomography for Occupational and Environmental Respiratory Diseases (ICOERD) has been developed for screening and diagnosis of occupational lung diseases. We evaluated the association of icoerd with the International Labor Organization (ILO) classification and respiratory functions in pneumoconiosis. Chest x-rays of patients with pneumoconiosis were classified with ilo and icoerd using hrct, irregular opacity, pleural pathology, and emphysema was detected in 78, 19, and 53 patients, and using chest x-rays in 47, 4, and 14 patients, respectively. There was a significant correlation between ILO categories and ICOERD grades. There was a negative correlation between ILO categories and FEV1% and FVC%, whereas, ICOERD grades were not correlated with FEV1% and FVC%. HRCT was superior to chest x-rays to detect pneumoconiosis in early stage, but not in evaluating pulmonary functions.